Puget Sound Crabbing - The Hull Truth

Siv · 01-01-2007, 04:24 PM

We got out for one last trip for salmon and crab before the crab seasons shuts down. The crabbing was OK, we ended up with 6 but there was a large commercial / tribal boat working the area and that made finding legal sized crabs a bit tough.

Still had enough for a nice New Years Day feast.

No legal Blackmouth ( Chinook ) but lots of shorts to keep things busy.

Tight Lines.

tommyr904 · 01-01-2007, 05:34 PM

what kinda crabs are those?

eb1326 · 01-01-2007, 05:56 PM

Dungeness it looks like...lived in Bellingham ,WA right out of college and did my share of crabbing and clamming/oystering in the area. The Puget Sound and San Juan Islands area is the most beautiful part of the country IMO. Nice Pics.

Siv · 01-01-2007, 07:01 PM

Yes..They are dungeness. They must be male and 6.25 inches across the back to be legal.

tommyr904 · 01-01-2007, 07:25 PM

thanks

auguste · 01-01-2007, 11:49 PM

And they taste absolutely great

welder · 01-02-2007, 12:45 AM

Beautiful country and very good eating.

bc22 · 01-02-2007, 02:40 AM

Looks like a nice day. . . a bit cold but the waters look calmish.

Dungeness are one of my all time favorites (i love red rock crabs very much too, but the work involved is torturous and if you're not careful you can crack your teeth on the thick shells! but the meat is all too sweet! but you probably already know this

)

Over the xmas holidays the winds didn't let up for over a week on Van Isle an kept me from doing some winter crabbing and prawning

Do you winterize the boat or are you able to get out thur out the year?

Siv · 01-02-2007, 12:44 PM

Yeah..it was nice and calm as opposed to my last 2 trips with 30 knots and sideways rain. I keep the boat ready all winter and we get out a fair amount. The winter Chinook fishing can be great, the fish are not real big, 5-10 pounds, but are very good fighters on light gear and fine for the table. You are lucky to have a prawn season still on, our season this year was 2 days...count em... 2 days..

thehermit · 01-02-2007, 03:03 PM

GO UMASS!

Siv · 01-02-2007, 05:16 PM

You noticed the hat..! I thought I might get some comments about that with me being in Seattle. I grew up in Shrewsbury Mass and graduated from UMASS. Seems things in Amherst are still the same, after UMASS lost in the 1AA football finals there was a riot at Southwest..

Tyee 2 · 01-02-2007, 06:05 PM

Siv

What's your size limit for chinook possesion down there?
I know up here a 5 pounder would never make it.

Cheers... Tyee.

dangerousdan5150 · 01-02-2007, 06:25 PM

The day after his wife disappeared in a kayaking accident, an Anchorage man answered his door to find two grim-faced Alaska StateTroopers.

"We're sorry Mr. Wilkens, but we have some information about your wife," said one trooper.

"Tell me! Did you find her?!" Wilkens shouted.

The troopers looked at each other. One said, "We have some bad news, some good news, and some really great news. Which do you want to hear first?"

Fearing the worst, an ashen Mr. Wilkens said, "Give me the bad news first."

The trooper said, "I'm sorry to tell you, sir, but this morning we found your wife's body in Kachemak Bay ."

"Oh my God!" exclaimed Wilkens. Swallowing hard, he asked, "What's the good news?"

The trooper continued, "When we pulled her up, she had 12 twenty-five pound King crabs and 6 good-size Dungeness crabs clinging to her."

Stunned, Mr. Wilkens demanded, "If that's the good news, what's the great news?"

The trooper said, "We're going to pull her up again tomorrow."
__________________

Siv · 01-02-2007, 06:47 PM

We have a 22 inch minimum for Chinook. A fish right at the 22 inch size will weight about 4 pounds. The challenge his winter has not been finding fish, but finding legal ones has been a bit tough. TONS of 12-20 inch shakers out there.